Chapter 27

Some nobles who hadn’t even been surprised at the platinum armor now let out exclamations. To own a fief in the capital was not a privilege given to just anyone. Usually, even a palm-sized plot of land would be granted as a position, not a title. But today, a female puppeteer who had been a commoner until just moments ago had firmly established herself as a noble of the capital!

“Oh my……”

“Does anyone know anything about Miss Elcia Bennett, or rather, the Baron? Someone, please introduce her.”

“For now, let’s move seats closer. Mitchel, bring some tart on a plate.”

Elcia was bewildered. A fief? Being granted a fief? Even the Kypris Marquisate, where Ian belonged, had its fief a little distance from the capital. But now, not just near the capital, but inside the capital itself, she had a fief…? She had even received gold bars, not just the title?

Surprised, she forgot that she was in the banquet hall where everyone’s attention was focused, and stared blankly at Conrad. The Crown Prince, who had prepared this surprise, smiled softly and finished speaking.

“I hope everyone warmly welcomes Baron Elcia Bennett, now a member of the nobility, as well as Ian Kypris and Sir Seiran, who have returned to the capital.”

Whether the Crown Prince’s last words had any effect, Elcia did not know. As soon as he declared her a Baron and withdrew to the back, people flocked toward her. She was so busy greeting the crowd and answering questions that she could barely keep up.

Surprisingly, the most common question people asked was not about what kind of puppets Elcia had or what feats she had accomplished. They desperately wanted to know what kind of divinity had appeared at the Vanir Temple, and hoped it was something grand enough to replace the lost Saint. Since Haden was still adjusting, she couldn’t share the details.

Instead, Elcia did her best to comfort each person, assuring them that everything in the Empire would turn out well.

“…What is this.”

A young girl, clenching her fist, looked at the empty space where the people around her had dispersed like the ebbing tide. She was Ruivril Sesha, the second daughter of Duke Sesha.

“Lady, let’s go over there and receive the blessing of divinity! Aren’t you curious about anything?”

Artis, daughter of Viscount Bonne and the most famously oblivious person in high society, urged Ruivril.

At this, the lady glared at Elcia, who was surrounded by the crowd. From the moment she entered escorted by Conrad, Ruivril was certain Elcia must be a high-ranking princess from another country. Her extravagant attire and pretty face only confirmed it.

But she had been a commoner until just moments ago? And now she had been granted a prime fief in the capital? Wasn’t that too much? As a born noble, Ruivril was instantly consumed by unpleasant feelings. She had almost fallen into despair when she misunderstood Elcia’s status, and now she was deeply irritated.

“Forget it. If I go, my dress will just get wrinkled because of all those people. Why bother?”

“But there hasn’t been any good news since the Saint passed away. It’s such a rare opportunity—it would be a shame to miss it.”

“You go ahead.”

Ruivril, slightly annoyed, spoke dismissively, and Artis quickly grabbed her dress hem and replied,

“Then I’ll be right back! Lady, please wait alone for just a moment!”

“What? How dare you leave me and go somewhere?”

Ruivril, who hadn’t expected Artis to actually go, was flustered, but Artis was already running quickly in that direction. Ruivril, now dumbfounded, let out an irritated sigh through her nose.

It was extremely difficult for a commoner to achieve enough merit to become a noble. Even if it was something the Vanir Temple had requested directly, Ruivril’s heart was troubled for other reasons.

‘Maybe… No, no, but still! No, I hate it!’

Others always talked about how her eldest sister was Queen of the Riwane Kingdom and her younger brother was a Young Duke, so she must have nothing to envy. But Ruivril herself lived every day anxiously, as if walking on thin ice.

‘I can’t lose to my sister!’

Her sister, Lev, was objectively less attractive than Ruivril—in fact, to be precise, she was plain-looking. The maids and nanny who cared for Ruivril all whispered the same. Unlike Ruivril, who looked as cute as a Maron doll, her sister had a long face, ordinary brown hair, and average skin.

But Lev had married into a wealthy foreign kingdom overnight, and became a beloved Queen to both her husband, the King, and the people. The Duke said she had caught the eye of a King traveling incognito. Without spending a single gold coin, she had snatched up the young King of a rich country! With things turning out this way, Ruivril felt desperate.

The sisters were only two years apart.

Ruivril now had to at least get engaged.

Absolutely, to a better position than her sister!

That was her last, unyielding pride.

‘…Of course, within our Empire, there’s only His Highness Conrad, right? Even if I become Queen of another country, I refuse to go to a small, insignificant nation. Never!’

There were more than ten princes in the Imperial Family, but none caught Ruivril’s interest. The only partner she wanted was the current Crown Prince, Conrad. His status as the eldest son, his powerful appearance, cold personality, and arrogance that dominated the nobility—all of it made him the perfect husband for Ruivril.

Becoming Conrad’s Empress was Ruivril’s greatest dream. Only then could she easily look down on her sister, the Queen of Riwane Kingdom.

But……

‘His Highness has never looked so satisfied escorting anyone before. That’s for sure! I couldn’t see well when he escorted me because of our height difference!’

Ruivril was especially sensitive when it came to Conrad, whom she believed was her future groom. She glared at Elcia’s cream-colored hair among the crowd. If she had a hard slingshot, she would’ve loved to shoot that annoying cream puff away.

If, by any chance, Elcia ever became her rival in love, she could never let her live…!

‘Ceylon House, right? There are hardly any other mansions or people nearby, and there’s tall grass growing all around, isn’t there? Heh, it’ll be easy. No skilled knights would be assigned to a Baron who used to be a commoner, so if a fire breaks out, everyone would abandon the master and run away.’

She didn’t plan to aim her hostile bow at Elcia right away. She would watch a bit longer, and if her suspicions were confirmed, she’d act then. If she was lucky, she could even use someone else’s hand to deal with it. Ruivril smirked and waited for time to pass before quietly making her move.

After receiving a barrage of questions and greetings, Elcia was not just thirsty, but parched. Standing for so long in high heels made her ankles ache. She tried not to limp as she looked around. Just as she was about to move to get some water—

“Hmm, ahem.”

“You’ve arrived, Lady! That’s Baron Bennett over there! Isn’t she really beautiful and lovely?”

Artis was as oblivious as her reputation.

“Why should I know that?”

Her tone was rather sharp. Some nobles who had spoken to Elcia earlier had shown similar attitudes. Rather than respond to the hostility, Elcia, desperate for water, scanned for a table with a bottle.

“Here you go.”

Seiran, quick-witted, accepted a glass of water from a tray carried by a servant and handed it to her.

“Thank you, Sir Seiran.”

“Mm, hmm! Hm! Has it been two years, Sir Seiran?”

Ruivril, proud to be a lady, hesitated to speak directly to Baron Elcia, a lower noble. Spotting Seiran, who had once been the chief knight of the Duchy, she seized the chance to start a conversation. Since the three of them—plus the prodigal knight Ian—had gone together, she had enough reason to talk.

Seiran, standing by Elcia’s side, glanced back.

“Ah, Lady Sesha. To be precise, it’s been about three years and six months.”

Ruivril frowned and grumbled softly.

“Sir Seiran, why didn’t you return to our house? Didn’t you say you’d come back after the Grand Expedition?”

“No, I left after my contract was fully completed. Then and now, I remain a knight of the Draug Empire, so there’s no need to fuss about my current affiliation.”

Seiran, knowing Ruivril’s sharp temper well, ended the conversation skillfully to avoid giving her anything to pick at. Ruivril pouted and threw out another bait.

“I’m disappointed! Your feats are worthy of being sung by a bard, but sadly, they were never made into a song. If you returned to our Duchy, we could resume the project!”

“Haha, if I ever become such a great knight, perhaps a wandering bard will make time for it even later. I’m not one to obsess over what others do for me, so it’s fine.”

‘Tch! He won’t take the bait.’

Ruivril was quietly annoyed. She had tried to start a conversation, but he was busy shaking her off.

Still, she had a few more cards to play. She deliberately put on a cold expression and asked in a sulky tone,

“Tell me more about finding divinity.”

“…Ah, the Vanir Temple has its own position, so please wait patiently. When the time comes, the High Priest will personally announce it. If you rush, you’ll only get disappointing results because preparations aren’t finished.”

Seiran offered a lesson, but Ruivril was not the type to be impressed.

“Hmph, really? I was looking forward to hearing about finding divinity… By the way, it’s odd for two knights and a woman to go on an adventure together.”

“What do you mean?”

Seiran’s sharp senses kicked in. Surely, she was trying to belittle Elcia? He frowned slightly, but Ruivril’s venomous attack was faster.

“Did you camp out at night? Hohoho, if you were short on blankets, did you huddle together to share warmth…?”

“That’s out of line, Lady. That never happened, so please apologize to Baron Bennett.”

‘Ian!’

Ian, who had quietly approached, cut off Ruivril’s words with a single sentence. The arrogant Lady Ruivril bristled at being embarrassed.

“Apologize?”

“Did you forget the Crown Prince’s instruction? Baron Bennett performed her duties flawlessly. She was a true companion who fulfilled her role. So, for my and Sir Seiran’s sake, please refrain from publicly belittling Baron Bennett.”

Ian’s words were polite but openly criticized Ruivril’s behavior. Flustered, Ruivril glanced around, but no one came to her aid. Artis, ever useless, just stared with big calf-like eyes, while the familiar noblewomen and young ladies covered their mouths with fans and whispered.

Ruivril wrinkled her chin and grumbled,

“I was just curious! It’s not like that ever happened before!”

“That’s not true. Even when the Saint was alive, there were expeditions, but look at how you singled out this awkward topic. It’s really ugly.”

“Indeed. Were you always like this…? Lady Lev wasn’t like that.”